


How Far We'll Go

by assetbucky



Series: How Far We've Come [7]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Background Character Death, Backstory, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-26
Updated: 2017-11-08
Packaged: 2019-01-23 15:31:58
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,697
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12510516
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/assetbucky/pseuds/assetbucky
Summary: Backstory for everyone, canon characters and OCs, and how they fit together!You can find me at transmarmora on tumblr!





	1. Lance

“Leonys, your mother is here.” Something was wrong. Even this young, students were always called by their surname. First names were only used when someone was bringing bad news. He was 10 years old, and he had just been called out of his class. His mother came up to him, Mari and Noé already by her side. Noé was 6, Mari 14, and none of them knew what news their mother had for them. She insisted on telling them all together.

Three hours later, Lance was re-reading the first line of the letter she had been sent over and over.

_Mrs. Maria Novoa Gonzalez_   
_I regret to inform you of the loss of your husband, André Alvarez Vega._

Noé was too young to have any idea of how to process this. He’d gone into his room, and the only sign he was still there was an occasional audible sob. Mari had left the house, saying she was going on a walk. She’d never been gone this long before. Their mother was sitting outside Noé’s door, which he’d evidently locked since she was sitting on the floor instead of going inside.

He was gone. Their father was gone. He had left Earth with the garrison, and the re-entry had gone wrong. And Lance decided then that he would fix it. For now, he was sitting on his bed crying, reading and re-reading that his father was gone. It took him nearly another hour to manage to move. He wrapped himself into a blanket and walked down the hall.

“Mom. I’ll talk to him.” She left the hallway, though she didn’t go far. He knocked on Noé’s door gently. “Hey, it’s me.” He’d always been closer to Noé than anyone else, someone he could always trust.

When he was 4 years old, Noé came out to Lance. Not that he knew that’s what he was doing. Even not knowing that it was something risky, he trusted Lance first. Their dad was getting ready to leave, their mother was working, and Lance was trusted with keeping an eye on Noé.  
“Just yell if she gets into any trouble, okay? Dad will help you.” Their mom hugged them both before heading off to work. She’d taken an earlier shift than normal since André was going to be home during the day.

“Novia, wanna watch me play again?” He nodded, following after Lance. He’d been playing for nearly 20 minutes with Noé watching intently when Noé spoke up again.

“Leonys, I got a question.”

“Yeah?” Lance didn’t even bother to pause his game - his questions were usually something quick and easy. Almost always a joke. He didn’t even think it might be something serious.

“Mama keeps saying I’m gonna grow up to be a strong, beautiful woman like her and Mari.”

“Yeah, she does. That isn’t a question though.”

“What if I want to grow up to be a strong, beautiful man like you and Dad?”

Lance paused his game and turned to him. “Then you will be. Remember Mom also keeps saying that you can be whatever you want to be? You wanna grow up to be a strong, beautiful man, you will. You already are, okay?” When Noé nodded, Lance hesitated for a second. “You want a different name or anything?”

Another nod, without any hesitation.

“What about Noé? At least for now. It’ll be easy for people to remember and you can always change your name later if you want. You want me to tell Mom and Dad?”

“And Mari. When I’m not there.” He was quiet for a moment, then leaned over and hugged Lance, who just pulled him in closer.

After Noé went to bed that night, Lance told them what he’d said earlier that day.

The next day, their father was leaving. Lance and Noé were clinging to him, Noé crying, Mari standing close behind them.

“Boys, I have to go.”

“Promise you’re gonna come back…”

“Noé, I promise, I’m gonna come back. Be back before you know it.”

A few minutes later, he managed to actually get the boys off of him, and they watched as his ship lifted off.

//

Noé opened the door and let Lance in, hugging him. “He said he was gonna come back. He promised.”

Lance dropped to his knees and hugged Noé, hugging him tightly. “I know he did. It isn’t his fault, Noé. He was coming back to us. Somebody made a mistake.”

“And it killed him…”

Lance nodded, sitting on the floor and rocking Noé, petting his hair gently. “Yeah, it did. You’ve still got me though. And Mom, and Mari. We’re gonna be okay.”

For the next year, Noé spent every night by Lance’s side. He slept curled up in Lance’s arms every night, and when Mari came back a week after she left, she joined them for nearly a month, all of them taking care of each other. Their mother would stay awake for days at a time, often only getting to sleep when she passed out on the couch.

//

“Are you sure you want to do this?” She had asked him twice in the past 10 minutes and had been asking for the past few months. “Are you absolutely sure?”

“Mom, the garrison isn’t ever gonna take ‘Leonys Alvarez Novoa’ seriously.” It had taken his father years to be taken seriously at the garrison. And he hadn't exactly kept it a secret. “You know that. But they’ll take Lance McClain.” He was 12 years old, and his determination to go to the garrison from two years ago was still going strong. He wasn’t even thinking about it, really, but he already knew what he needed to do. He was going to make sure nobody lost a parent again unnecessarily.

“Leonys-”

“Lance. My name is Lance. And I’m doing this.”

Two years later, he applied to the garrison and got accepted. He’d be trained as a researcher and cargo pilot. Another 6 months and he was leaving. As he was about to leave the house, Noé blocked the door. “Promise me you’ll come back?”

Lance couldn’t help but feel a little guilty. Noé was on the brink of tears, clearly terrified that Lance was going to be lost just like their father. And that he wouldn’t have him there to help. It almost made Lance want to stay home. To give up the garrison, to let someone else figure it out. Let someone else risk their life.

Almost.

“I swear I’ll come back.” He pulled his brother into a hug, sighing quietly. “And anyway, I’ll be back this summer. I swear.”

 

After the first two summers, Noé calmed down a little bit. Lance was 17 now, and he was going to be a fighter-class pilot. Their first year, he'd been in a double room with Hunk. Last year, he'd had two roommates - Hunk - who at that point was his best friend - and Keith, who he knew virtually nothing about other than that he wasn't interested in talking to them. This year, Keith was gone. Nobody in their class knew the specifics of why. He and Hunk were in a double room now, and without Keith to hold them back Lance was always convincing Hunk to sneak out.

 

//

 

Once Lance realized they weren't getting home any time soon, he could hear his brother's voice. He said he was gonna come back. He promised. This time, he'd be saying it to their mother. And this time, he wasn't there to help him.

 

He couldn't get stuck on that though. He sat by Hunk’s side nearly a week after they'd left Earth.

 

“Lance? What's wrong?”

 

Lance thought it wasn't showing, but Hunk knew him too well for that. “It's just my family. We don't know what the garrison told them. Last time we lost someone, everything fell apart. Now it's happening again and I'm not there to help. I was the only one who could calm Noé down when he was upset like that, and Mari told me she came back because she was worried about me.”

 

There was nothing that could be said. Hunk just pulled Lance closer to him, trying to calm him down. They'd always been good with each other, each knowing what the other needed. It was like that for weeks. One of them would get anxious about something, or Lance's thoughts would get going fast enough that he had to say them out loud to follow, or Hunk _really_ needed a hug, and they'd find the other. It was only after nearly a month of this before they started going to other people too.

 

//

 

They'd been out fighting again, and they'd won the battle. It was a struggle, but in the end it was obvious. They'd won the battle, and they would be winning the war. They hadn't even formed Voltron this time, and Keith had separated from the group. In a few moments, Lance would find out why.


	2. Pidge and Matt

Matt was 5 when his sister was born. He'd been a giant baby, nearly 10 and a half pounds when he was born, and his sister was tiny. In comparison. She was still 9 pounds. But her relative tininess earned her the nickname Pidge from Matt the minute he found out they'd called him 'pudge’ for an hour before they actually named him. And since Matt had come out to them, they'd been discussing new names for the baby, who wasn't named until hours after birth. Soon, Sam dropped Matt off at Austin's house, making him promise to behave for his mother. Matt's best friend had always been Austin. They'd grown up together, and they rarely left each other's sides. Nobody found their close friendship odd. But Pidge knew something was up. She'd always been good at knowing these things.

When he was 13, she walked in and Matt was asleep on Austin, who was petting Matt's hair and staring at him. She couldn't say how she knew, but in that moment it was obvious - Austin was in love with his best friend, and had been for years. Sure, she was 8 years old. But it was obvious to her. Two weeks later when their roles were reversed, she didn’t keep quiet.

“He likes you back.” She climbed up on the couch next to Matt, who blushed but didn’t take his eyes off of Austin.

“Don’t know what you’re talking about, Pidge. And anyway, what would you know, you’re just a kid.” After a moment of silence, he looked over at her. “Not a word, okay?”

She smirked, hopping down from the couch and going off to her room. Matt hesitated, then lay down next to Austin, wrapping his arms around him and joining him in his nap.

She was 10 when Matt joined the garrison. A year earlier, she’d started going by Katie, but Matt insisted on continuing to call her Pidge - “You’re still my _little_ sister” - and she hated it. Until Matt was leaving. It was always a joke between them, and no Pidge meant no joking, and no joking meant no Matt.

“Hey, tell Austin I’m gonna miss him.” Matt smiled, pulling Pidge into a hug.

“What, can’t say goodbye to your boyfriend yourself?” She laughed, pushing him a little, and between her always underestimating her strength and Matt’s terrible balance, that meant he was on the ground.

“He’s not my boyfriend. And I was gonna but he wasn’t home, okay? Just let him know, okay?” He stood up and brushed himself off, then hugged her again. “I’m gonna miss you, Pidge.”

“Gonna miss you too.”

As she and her mother went home, she kept looking behind them. Her brother was joining, specifically to go on a planned mission the year he graduated. He’d be making up any time he’d miss in that year over the summers, so she would only be seeing him a couple weeks over the next few years. Then she wouldn’t see him at all. It turned out none of them knew how long that would be.

//

She was 15 when it happened.

_**Kerberos Mission Failed** _

_The research mission to a moon of Pluto, Kerberos, failed last week. The mission was meant to discover potential for life on the moon, increasing human knowledge and preparing for the possibility of alien life. First reports of loss of contact began two days ago, the signal dating back approximately a week. The three members who were on the mission, Samuel Holt (45), Matthew Holt (20), and Takashi Shirogane (24) are presumed dead. The mission failure is thought to be caused by human error on part of the team, though no conclusion can be accurately made at present._

He was gone. All of them were. Her dad, her brother, their friend. They were all gone. And the garrison was blaming them for it. That wasn’t possible. Matt was too smart for that. His mind was the thing he was proudest of. And when her attempts to get information from the garrison were met with secrecy, she knew she was right. They were alive. And she had to find them.

//

Matt was panicking. He was next to fight, and he had never been any good at that. Especially not on this scale. The alien in front of him was holding out a weapon, but he was completely frozen. Then Shiro was pushing him, and a second later he was pinned to the ground. His leg hurt, and Shiro was promising that he wouldn’t have to fight. Between the panic and the new pain and blood loss - which wasn’t enough to be dangerous, let alone to make him pass out on its own - he blacked out. He woke up in a hospital with his leg bandaged.

“You’re awake.” One of those aliens was standing over him, apparently a doctor. “This injury has kept you from fighting. You will be sent to a work camp with others who were unfit to fight.” He was pulled up out of the bed, dragged to a cell. “You’ll be here until the next ship out.”

Matt fell as he was pushed into the cell, turning around to watch the door close. It was dark - so dark that he couldn’t see his hand in front of his face. He backed up until he was in the corner and curled up. He did the only thing that had brought him comfort when they were being transported here - he talked to his sister.

“We did it, Katie. We found aliens and we talked to them, just like I said we would.” He was mumbling, the anxiety apparent in his voice. “We found aliens. I’m gonna get out of here, find Dad, and we’re gonna come home to you. Then we can tell you about it.”

He didn’t know how long he was there, but it felt like forever. The door occasionally opened just enough for food to be slid through to him, and other than that he never saw light. So when he opened his eyes at the sound of an explosion, the brightness caused him to lose sight for a moment. Someone grabbed his hand and pulled him up, both of them running, him hoping he could trust whoever this was. His ears were ringing, so he couldn’t be sure of what the person was saying.

“Who are you?” They were on a ship, but not one of the Galra’s. Whoever this was, if they were a threat they were at least a different one.

“I am Te-Osh. You and two others were picked up on Kerberos, correct?”

Matt nodded. “Yeah. Shiro and my dad. Shiro is fighting in the arena, Dad’s at a work camp. Don’t know where.”

“Who are you?”

“Matthew Holt. From Earth.”

“Well, Matthew Holt from Earth, I’m a rebel fighter, we fight against the Galra Empire. How would you like to help us?”

Matt nodded. “Be on the right side of history.”

//

Breaking in hadn’t helped anything. They caught her every time, and there was no way she’d be able to sneak in again. So Pidge knew what she had to do.

She applied to the garrison under the name Pidge Gunderson, a 15 year old boy with a love of space and technology. She knew the risk she was taking - she made an entire background for him, going so far as to fudge a social security number for this boy who didn’t exist. And it worked.

She’d been listening for weeks now, trying to find any trace of her brother. Instead, she kept getting background chatter, the strongest of it about something called Voltron. She was trying to find something new the night everything happened. Anything that wasn’t about Voltron, something that showed Matt was okay. She’d even settle for something that confirmed he was dead, though she knew that wasn’t true. But at least she would know.

It all went so fast. The next thing she knew, they were out by Kerberos, out where Matt was last seen. He’d been here, and she was following. She could follow him. She was going to find him.


	3. Hunk

He was 9 when he met Mika. They were in the same class, and Mika quickly became his best friend. He was one of the few people who didn’t make fun of him for his weight, and the only one of those few who wasn’t scared off by his tendency to be tactile with his friends quickly. He was also the only one who didn’t care that he had two moms. Which was how they ended up as close as they did. Which was how they ended up like this.

They were 12. The two of them were on the couch, flipping through channels on the TV. Nothing. So they started talking. Eventually, it came to this.

“Eli, I think… I think I like guys. The way most boys like girls, I mean. I’m not sure, I guess, maybe it’s just this one person…”

Elisara had been out to his family and Mika for nearly two years now, they all knew he didn’t quite feel like a boy, but he’d even said that he was a ‘guy’. That was as close as he could get to describing it. So when Mika said he liked _guys_ and that it might be just that one _person_ while also clearly describing himself as a boy, he felt his heart soar. He couldn’t be sure, and he hadn’t even known that he liked Mika. But clearly he did.

“Me too. Just… anyone, really. I guess I want a boyfriend. Or girlfriend. Or… something else, I dunno.”

Mika smiled and leaned against him. “Then I guess we’ll be weird together, right?”

Elisara nodded, pulling him closer. “Yeah. Together.”

The two of them were silent for a moment, unable to express how helpful that togetherness was. Neither was alone anymore when they previously thought they were.

“Maybe… _together_ together.” Mika mumbled, quiet enough that Elisara was just able to hear him.

“Yeah.” He said quietly, running his fingers through Mika’s hair. “ _Together_ together.”

//

He was leaving for the garrison that night. He was being dropped off at the airport, and Mika wouldn’t leave him alone. They were 15, and Mika was clinging to him.

“Eli, do you have to go?”

“Sweetie, I… I swear I’ll be back. It’s just a fancy school, it’s not like I’m gonna be in danger or anything.”

Every break, the two of them would get together and spend as much time together as they could. They’d nap on the couch, Mika on top of Elisara, listening to his heartbeat. They rarely left each other’s sides, always staying in contact.

When Elisara disappeared, Mika fell apart. For nearly 4 months, he stayed at his house. He slept in Eli’s bed and, despite being much too large for him, wore his clothes. He kept going to school, but everyone knew that for a lot of it, he wasn’t really there. Wearing his boyfriend’s clothes meant that everyone had a constant reminder that Elisara wasn’t there. Two months in, he’d started going to support groups. Almost everyone there was twice his age, they’d lost a child or a spouse, and only one other person there had lost their person to an accident at the garrison.

The discussion helped. He could talk about it and nobody pretended they understood if they didn’t. He could cry and nobody would judge him for it. That freedom to share helped.

“He… always told me he would come back. He said he wasn’t in danger there. Said it was just a fancy school. And now he’s gone, and I’m never going to see him again. He’d want me to move on, to… to let myself be happy, y’know? But I can’t, I love him, he’s… he’s mine.”

The woman next to him - the one who had lost her husband on a mission with the garrison - reached over and pulled him closer. “You don’t have to move on yet, sweetie. You might not ever really move on, I know I won’t. Nobody ever has to replace him. Nobody has to fill that hole in you, you just let someone else take a spot beside it. An equal love, not replacing anything, but helping make something that is equal.”

He was crying again, so he curled up and hid in Eli’s sweater, as he’d been doing whenever he got upset. He’d been wearing the same one for nearly two weeks, the massive size of it making it a perfect comfort object. He could hide his entire body in it, becoming just a lump in a sweater. Only after a few months did he manage to start running a real life again, not yet moving on, but feeling more comfortable knowing he didn’t have to.

//

Hunk was constantly nervous at the garrison. Sure, he knew nothing would happen. But what if _nothing_ happened? What if he didn’t learn anything? What if it was too hard and he didn’t pass? What if his being away meant Mika wanted to break up? What if-

“Hunk, you’re thinking again. Let’s go out, get your mind off things, okay?”

Apparently that had been a mistake. They’d been out for three days so far, and it was making Hunk a _lot_ more anxious. He was sitting with Lance, watching Keith during training. They weren’t supposed to let anyone train without someone watching just in case. Lance wasn’t taking his eyes off him, but Hunk was thinking again.

“Our families probably know we’re gone. And there’s no way the garrison was gonna tell the truth. Y’know, that 3 students and an ex-student broke in, kidnapped a former faculty member who was declared dead a year ago but crashed in an alien spaceship, and disappeared into space. They probably said there was an accident and we died. Our families probably think we’re dead, Lance. You’re not listening to me, are you?” When he got no response, he rolled his eyes, but kept talking. “Mika made me swear I’d come back home. I promised him I wasn’t in danger at the garrison.”

Another three days, Lance repeated it to him. 

“It's just my family. We don't know what the garrison told them. Last time we lost someone, everything fell apart. Now it's happening again and I'm not there to help. I was the only one who could calm Noé down when he was upset like that, and Mari told me she came back because she was worried about me.”

Hunk knew what had happened - he’d planted the idea in Lance’s head, and he’d been worrying about it since. He pulled him closer, wrapping his arms around him, silent. He did what he’d always done when it came to Lance - brought him the comfort he needed.


	4. Shiro

Shiro grew up dreaming to join the garrison. He was 6 years old when he first heard about it. Space exploration, an organization that focused solely on exploring. On finding new worlds, finding new races, new people. That was what he wanted to do. Friends, everywhere. All over the universe, and he would know all of them. He would.

He was 10 when his father died. He was the only parent he’d known, the only family he had. While the guy hadn’t been the best person, he was still something. Someone Shiro had who was _his_. He moved from foster home to foster home, always trying to make them like him enough to actually adopt him. Like him enough to let him stay.

It never worked.

He was 14 when he applied to the Galaxy Garrison, hoping to give himself a new life. A life where he’d be proud of who he was. He’d make a name for himself, and he’d make himself the family he’d never had.

When he actually joined the garrison, he made a good start. He met someone who had dreams as big as his own. His roommate, Ali, who seemed to want nothing more than to find alien races.

“So you’re finding alien species? That’s what you’re doing here?”

“Races. They’re probably just as developed as us. If they have proper societies, they’re races. And yeah, there’s complex civilizations with lots of beings we call animals, but y’know societies and civilizations are kinda my thing and calling them species is kinda shitty when we call ourselves ‘the human race’. Kinda douchey to think we’re the only ‘race’ and everything else is a species… I’m talking about this way too much. Yeah, I’m gonna find them.”

“You’ve got a point. So it’s a plan then, right? You find ‘em, I go out in space to talk to ‘em, right?”

“Right.” Ali reached over and pulled Shiro closer. “You’re gonna be The Guy to go to if someone wants to visit alien planets.”

“And you’re gonna be the guy to go to if someone wants to know about an alien race.”

Shiro was going to be a copilot. Ali would lead research teams. It was all planned, and they were heading the right direction for it. 

By the time they graduated, Shiro was the best in their class, and his combination of skills was frankly outstanding. He was a copilot, but he could fly a ship without one. He’d learned the mechanics behind the ships as well, able to fix any problem that might come up. He knew enough of the science they taught that he could’ve been a researcher. As it was, they’d already started planning his first long-term mission. A research mission to Kerberos, with one of his instructors, Sam Holt and his son, Matt. Assuming Matt graduated, which everyone was sure he would.

//

They were about to leave, Matt hanging out with his sister, Katie, Shiro wandering around with Keith. He didn’t really have family nearby, and Keith had taken care of him when he needed it. He walked up to Ali’s office with him.

“Keith, this is Ali. He was my roommate when I was a student. When I’m out of here, he’s gonna help you out with whatever he can. Ali, this is Keith. He’s basically a brother to me, took care of me for awhile. I… I’m sorry, but I’ve gotta go. You can come watch if you want.”

//

Matt stood in front of him, terrified. Frozen. He had to save him. He reached out and pushed Matt, grabbing the weapon from the Galra in front of him. Next thing he knew, Matt was being carried away, and he was being ushered into the arena. He fought out of pure fear, strategy only being built later when he’d already been fighting. He had to learn as he went, his only strategy at first being to _do_. Anything. Anything was better than nothing.

After that, it was more of the same. Fighting, killing, experiments. When he finally broke free, it was only days before he got back to Earth. Then, it was more of the same again. More experiments, then he was carried out by two teens. Looking back, that was where the story began. Sure, plenty happened before that, but it started with Keith and Lance. It started with being broken out of his home, with being saved from his own friends and coworkers.


	5. Coran, Eryiz, and Allura

Coran and Eryiz met when they were teenagers. Coran was being hired by Alfor, who had just become King. His father had gotten sick, and having just come of age it was his duty to take over when the illness finally took him. Coran had met Alfor a few years back. They’d run into each other when Alfor briefly ran away. Everyone who recognized him tried talking to him about their problems, or about how he would make an amazing king. When a teen who looked… well, less than professional - a space pirate, maybe - Alfor expected it to be another person complaining. Coran didn’t complain. He walked beside him, keeping other people back when he could and letting Alfor talk about what was troubling him. By the end, they were back at the castle, and Alfor felt much better returning. Now, he found the boy who had helped him then.

“You are younger than me, correct?”

“Yes. Barely. That isn’t going to be a problem, is it?”

“No. It’s just that you’re about the age of my brother, Eryiz.”

Eryiz wasn’t talked about much. Growing up, his brother was next in line for the throne, so unless something happened to Alfor nobody really bothered. Most of the public didn’t even recognize Eryiz by name. And it was clear Coran was no different.

“He mostly keeps quiet. Well, in regards to the public. Here, he’s a bit of a troublemaker.”

“Well, we’ll have to see how he holds up to Coran Hieronymus Wimbleton Smythe.”

Alfor laughed, the first time he’d smiled since the loss of his father. “I’m sorry, it’s not that funny, it’s the way you said it.”

Coran smiled at him. “I know, it’s my job to assist you. That includes keeping you happy, right?”

“Yeah, it does. It also includes keeping my brother occupied so he doesn’t try to burn down the castle again. C’mon, you need to meet him.”

//

After that, Eryiz seemed to shape up. There weren’t as many horrifying crashes from odd corners of the castle, and Alfor couldn’t explain the sudden change in behavior. It took months for him to figure out what had really changed.

Eryiz had always been seen as second best. Alfor was the perfect child, and he was the backup. The one who would meet with people if Alfor was busy. The one who would be in meetings if Alfor couldn’t. And that had been messing with him more than he would ever admit.

Then Coran moved in. He worked almost exclusively with Eryiz, and nearly a week into his employment he and Eryiz fell asleep while working on a project they’d been working on. Coran leaned against the wall, Eryiz leaning against Coran. After that, they were inseparable.

“Coran? Eryiz has been… actually behaving. What did you do?”

“I’m his friend. He was just lonely.” Coran shrugged, looking up at Alfor. “Don’t blame yourself. You had your own duties to attend to. He needed someone who didn’t need to focus on other stuff all the time. And I helped him, yeah, but you made that possible.”

Five years later, Alfor’s daughter was born, 4 months after Coran and Eryiz got married. The two of them stood beside him, staring at the tiny Allura.

//

Allura was fairly young when her mother passed. Alfor couldn’t get her to leave the bedside even hours after her death. He stood awkwardly by the door, whispering to Coran.

“She won’t leave. I understand, I didn’t want to leave my father’s side either. But it’s been hours, and she won’t even move.”

Coran stared at her for a moment, then walked over and sat on the floor next to her. “Princess?”

She wiped her eyes, but didn’t look away from her mother. “S-she isn’t waking up.”

“I’m sorry, Allura.” He reached around her and pulled her into a hug, though her actual position barely changed. “She won’t wake up this time. It’s… it’s like a forever nap.”

Allura leaned against him. “A forever nap. Is she dreaming then?”

“I think she is.” He stood, lifting her with him. He carried her out of the room, stealing a quick glance at Alfor as he turned to close the door. He understood why it was so important that Allura left, as Alfor was kneeling next to the bed, holding his wife’s hand and sobbing. He hadn’t wanted her to see him like that. Or for anyone to. And as far as everyone was concerned, nobody had.

He brought her to his and Eryiz’s room, where they sat and played with her for hours before Alfor opened the door and she ran to him. Eryiz stood behind Coran, staring at his brother who was walking away with his daughter. “He won’t let anyone see that he’s hurting. He never did. Not when Mother died. Not when Father died. He won’t change that now.”

Coran turned around, pulling his husband into a tight hug. “I know, Eryiz.”

“Don’t let his appearance fool you, Coran. He’s in pain. But he’ll do anything to make Allura happy.”

//

“Allura, come with us. You are the princess, you need to be safe.”

“I will not run, Uncle. We must fight against them. If everyone runs, nobody will be left to stop them. Go. You are next in line for the throne, _you_ are the one who needs to be safe.”

They’d been arguing for nearly an hour, and Eryiz had to admit defeat. Coran stood beside Allura, and a glance between them said all that was needed. She wouldn’t leave the planet. Eryiz should go, it would save children and 140 crew members if things went the way it seemed they would.

Just before the planet was destroyed, Alfor set the castle on a course to the planet Arus. Everyone had evacuated or was killed, except Allura and Coran, who were in cryopods and would remain there longer than any of them knew.


End file.
